"You evidently thought it would be funny if she was allowed to
smoke the cigarette and you took a video of what was going on.

OUR STORY: Yesterday's "I expect you realise now it was
not funny at all, that sort of conduct could be very damaging to a
child's health."

Conroy, of Blyth Terrace, Ashington, had given the cigarettes to
the three-year-old at a house in Gateshead in February.

While the three-year-old smoked the cigarettes he got a 14-year-old
girl to film it.

Another youngster, who saw what was going on, told police in a
statement: "She was inhaling it and everything. It looked like she
had smoked before because she was inhaling and knew what to do.

"Graeme did not tell her what to do, she just knew what to
do."

The court heard the child had been tested for cannabis after
Conroy's claims he had given her the drug. Tony Glover,
prosecuting, said: "There was the possibility that cannabis was
involved, the defendant claimed he had allowed her to smoke cannabis.

"That was a late edition.

matter of great concern but tests carried out on her hair showed
there was no evidence she had taken cannabis." The court heard the
toxins in cigarettes are particularly harmful to children and when
examined the youngster had a wheezy chest.

Jane Foley, defending, said: "He believed it was a bit of a
joke but clearly it was not funny.

"Anyone hearing the circumstances of the offence would be
appalled to hear a three-year-old was permitted to smoke a
cigarette."

CAPTION(S):

OUR STORY: Yesterday's late edition.

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